The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie #32: The Philippines is Japan
Welcome back to 100 lies the God Culture teaches about the Philippines. Today's lie concerns Timothy Jay Schwab's claim that the Philippines is Japan. Specifically he claims the island known as Zipangu is the Philippines. Tim's proof for this claim comes from Marco Polo's description of Zipangu.
Tim has a lot of proofs for this claim but we shall listen to only one of them because it is his most important. He calls it the "nail in the coffin."
35:38 Now we progress to the nail in the coffin for Japan, not just this criteria but the next coming because this is just like, ERRRR, that's it. This one's about geography. Oh yeah, this account actually has geography. Academics and Scholars ignore it but it's there and you can't ignore it. Yes, it is always provided the direction of Kubla Khan's Journey to Zipangu into the South China Sea. Oops. Japan's not there.
"You must know that the gulf containing this island is called that of Zin" or Sin or Sina. Oh, wait a minute that's a reference to China but specifically to South China. Oh. Oops! Now, what is its sea, well it's called the South China Sea also referred to as Sin or Zin uh even on some maps. The South China Sea. Now, we don't have to guess though because this is really simple to test. Meaning in their language the sea opposite to Manji. Oops. Wait. Manji is what? Manji is South China and this is specifically the South China Sea. "According to skillful and intelligent mariners who have made the voyage it contains," BOOM, this is huge, "7,448 isles mostly inhabited." Now, oops, that's only half of Japan. That's pretty bad. Uh, and yet the Philippines has about that number of islands even to this day.
The problem for Tim is that the section mentioning 7,448 islands is not about Zipangu. Just before proceeding to describe this area Marco Polo says he is done with describing Zipangu and is moving on to something completely different.
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| https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48005/page/n285/mode/2up |
But I must tell you one thing still concerning that Island (and ’tis the same with the other Indian Islands), that if the natives take prisoner an enemy who cannot pay a ransom, he who hath the prisoner summons all his friends and relations, and they put the prisoner to death, and then they cook him and eat him, and they say there is no meat in the world so good!—But now we will have done with that Island and speak of something else.
You must know the Sea in which lie the Islands of those parts is called the Sea of Chin, which is as much as to say “The Sea over against Manzi.”
The edition of Marco Polo Tim is using omits that sentence about speaking of something else so it will simply not do to use this translation against him. Another edition from 1880 also omits that sentence.
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| https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283939/page/n381/mode/2up |
It is to be understood that the sea in which the island of Zipangu is situated is called the Sea of Chin and so extensive is this eastern sea, that according to the report of experienced pilots and mariners who frequent it, and to whom the truth must be known, it contains no fewer than seven thousand four hundred and forty islands, mostly inhabited.
A note on this passage says:
The limits of the China Sea, not being accurately defined, it is impossible to verify this pretended enumeration of its islands, which is evidently meant to include the Moluccas or those from whence the spices are chiefly procured.
The Sea being described by Marco Polo is the entire ocean east of China. It is not specifically the South China Sea.
Looking at the edition of Marco Polo Tim uses we read the following:
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| pgs. 275-276 |
You must know, that the gulf containing this island is called that of Zin, meaning in their language the sea opposite to Manji. According to skilfull and intelligent mariners, who have made the voyage, it contains 7,448 isles, mostly inhabited.
Even without looking at other translations it is clear that the one used by Tim does not say Zipangu is composed of 7,448 islands. What it says is Zipangu is in the Sea of China and the Sea of China is so immense it contains 7,448 islands.
The mention of 7,448 islands has nothing to do with Zipangu. At this point in the Travels he has finished talking about Zipangu and is discussing the expansiveness of the Sea of China and the numerous islands it contains.
This is not the nail in the coffin Tim thinks it is. It is however the nail in the coffin for Tim's claims the Philippines is Zipangu. If he had been paying attention to what this section actually says he would not have wasted time doing a resource test.
Instead he would have realized Marco Polo had moved on and was no longer talking about Zipangu.
The claim the Philippines is Zipangu is simply one more lie being taught about the Philippines by Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture.
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